LAGOS/Nigeria: In celebration of this year’s International Women’s Day, the Integrated Youth Development (IYD) Web of Support Programme, a leading Non-Governmental Organization in Nigeria, organized a training program focused on integrative Youth Development web of support metrics for students in Lagos, Nigeria. The aim was to instill in participants the necessary skills for weaving a meaningful living.
The training, held at Harrobs International Secondary School in Alapere Ketu, Lagos, drew a significant number of students and teachers from both within and outside the school. The event featured certified trainers from the United States-based Institute For Community And Adolescents Resiliency-Unifying Solutions (ICAR-US), the training arm of Agora College USA.
Ambassador Paul Philip Iwok, the IYD Web of Support Programme Boss and Lead Facilitator, emphasized the importance of web of support education, awareness, and enlightenment for Nigerian children and the youth. He noted that these efforts are crucial in addressing their social and emotional disconnections.
Iwok highlighted the origins of the web of support education in Alaska, USA, where it transformed the lives of young adults. This success led to its adoption in schools across the United States, Canada, and other countries, including Nigeria, where it was inaugurated in July 2019 by American International Educator Kathrine Thomson-Stone.
The overarching goal of web of support education, according to Iwok, is to promote factors that assist children in growing without social or emotional disconnections. He emphasized the ‘Rule of Five and Power of More,’ which represents the five key personalities or anchors every child must respect to thicken their webs of support: mother, father, teacher, religious leader, mentor, and other responsible adults in the family, community, and society.
Iwok stressed the urgency of instilling web of support knowledge among children and youths, highlighting its importance for providing future leadership in Nigeria. He called on government authorities to adopt the initiative to address juvenile delinquencies.
The IYD Web of Support Program is committed to delivering on this mandate and has been actively involved in campaigns for re-orientation through integrative Youth development web of support. They are prepared to replicate similar feats at national, state, and local government levels.
